1940, London
Steve Rogers looked at himself in the mirror, the man in the mirror looked back with cold eyes. The man's figure was completely different from the small, frail body it had inhabited earlier, over 6 feet tall and carrying muscles that looked stronger then the Submariner, Steve had undergone the very definition of 'change'.
"So, what do you think?" The voice of Max Mordell rang from across the room. Steve pulled the mask down over his head and took another look. This time the man seemed different, while the man without the mask had looked brutal and aggressive, when the mask had been donned he seemed completely different. Confident, stronger... not intelligent but... wiser. "Do you like it?" Max asked. "PLEASE tell me you like it!" Steve pulled the gloves down so they fitted him more firmly.
"It's a bit more.... colourful then I was expecting." Steve admitted. "But it's good. Fits nicely and sends the right message. People aren't going to wonder who's side I'm on when they look at me."
Max nodded at his handiwork. "Sorry Steve but red, blue and black just doesn't work with what I had in mind. White fits the costume MUCH better."
Steve smiled before pulling the mask off. It was heavier then expected, almost as if it were a helmet, designed to defend the wearer's skull against bullets and anything else that could be used against him.
"But with the white they'll see me coming." Steve pointed out gently. Of course Max had a counterpoint.
"But of course my dear Captain..." Max said calmly. "You WANT them to see you coming!"
_____________________
2014, Atlantic Ocean
"Agents dropped off. Withdrawing to safe distance."
"Roger that S.H.I.E.L.D. VTOL. Estimated time of Completion, 30 Minutes."
The Captain had only known Agent 13 for a few hours, yet already he'd been able to work out a few key features about her. She was blunt... but careful. Focused on the mission but also cared about the Agents under her command, Steve could respect that. The second before they'd jumped for the Ocean she'd calibrated her helmet and suit to underwater travel. Steve's bio armour had adapted to the icy surroundings instinctively. Just like the Tech boys had promised. Together the two Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. swam within the murky blackness leading to their destination.
"So, Captain. Have you been informed of our objective?" 13 clicked over the radio. Steve could understand the nerves in her voice, if a single crack appeared in her helmet the entire thing would burst and she'd either drown or freeze to death in the ice cold water.
"Just the basics." Steve replied. "It's a retrieval mission. Enemy Territory. We need to sneak in and extract a S.H.I.E.L.D. operative by the codename of 'Cheese'."
"Not just Enemy territory sir. HYDRA territory." 13 corrected. "72 Hours Ago they kidnapped 'Cheese' while he was on an assignment in Berlin."
"What was the assignment?" Steve asked out of pure curiosity.
"To keep an eye on HYDRA. He did his job a little TOO well. The island we're headed to was captured by them several years ago."
"Captured?" Steve asked.
"They landed on the island and killed/experimented on the residents. A few dozen families and the natives."
Steve frowned as he slipped quietly out of the water and onto the beach. His bio armour unwrapped from his mouth and turned a dark blue. Agent 13 followed shortly, however she kept her helmet on.
"Thank you for that Agent." Steve said calmly as he pulled his shield from its water proof seal. "Now I won't feel bad about hurting them." His shield attached to his wrist guard with a metallic ping and he was ready for action. It was time for the assault of HYDRA Island to begin.
__________________
1940, Several Days Later.
"Steve Rogers." The oily man in the white suit muttered from his chair, a large Cuban cigar hanging from between his fat lips. "Sorry." He said. "Make that... CAPTAIN Steve Rogers." He corrected. "You were told to come ALL this way from LONDON to see little old me?" His hands rested atop the briefcase lying on his desk.
"That's correct Mr Stark." Steve answered. At the moment he was wearing his normal Military uniform instead of his abnormal Military Uniform. The latter lay inside his Hotel room, neatly folded inside a normal looking briefcase. The code to open the case only being known by him, the President and the Manufacturer. "President Roosevelt asked me to himself." Steve pointed out calmly, there was something about this Howard Stark that was getting on his nerves. Perhaps it was the attitude. A few hours of Military Training would stomp that out of him.
"Roosevelt." Howard grinned slightly at the mere mention of the name. "Strange. I got a letter from him as well..." Steve had an idea where this was going. "A few months ago in fact.. something about a SUPER weapon for a SUPER Soldier." He patted the briefcase with a sense of pride. "And I've gotta say I'm pretty impressed with what I came up with." He opened the case slightly showing a hint of red metal. "Wanna take a look?" He asked. With a moment of hesitation Steve nodded. He wasn't sure why the President of all people would trust a man as untrustworthy as Howard Stark. Maybe Steve just couldn't see it. The briefcase opened... and a bright light reflected into Steve's eyes catching him by surprise.
"What is it... sir?" He added the last part on. Gently he pulled the red and white triangle from the case and placed his right arm through the straps.
"It's a Shield." Howard stated the obvious. "Something you don't see often nowadays. But THIS is no ordinary Shield! That thing will stand up to a Machine Gun if you get into that kinda situation."
"What's it made of?" Steve asked. "Steel?"
"No idea. The President told me to use it and I did. We didn't get much of the stuff, so I used a little thing I like to call Adamantium to form the majority of it. The thing's LITERALLY indestructible, but that's about it. So you may want to pack a gun with it while you w-"
Without another word Steve threw the shield with all his might towards a nearby wall. It smashed into the side before becoming firmly stuck.
"...nice throw." Stark complimented. Steve calmly popped the shield out and frowned.
"I was trying to get it to bounce back." He said.
"So what does that mean?" Stark asked. Steve shook his head slowly.
"It means... I'm going to have to make this thing work."
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